Chapter 66: The New Wizard Saint
Dino Maxim returned to the front of the guild and soon saw Master Makarov. Next to Master Makarov was a young man with his face tightly covered.
"Master! You're back already!"
"Mystogan! You're here too!"
Makarov nodded. "I ran into Mystogan on the way back. Droy and Jet had already been rescued by Mystogan and sent to the hospital for treatment. He also destroyed all of Phantom Lord's branch guilds."
Mystogan tossed out a large bundle of Phantom Lord's guild flags. Everyone in the guild cheered when they saw the proof of their rival's defeat.
"Dino, you did well this time." Makarov reached up and patted Dino's shoulder.
Dino grinned. "It was nothing, Master. Just taking out some trash that needed disposing of."
Makarov's expression grew somber. "What happened this time… it's my fault as your guild master. I failed to protect you all and the guild."
Suddenly—BOOM!
The Fairy Tail guildhall finally gave way, unable to withstand any more damage. The building began collapsing in on itself. The jubilant atmosphere died down as everyone stared at the destruction, their injuries suddenly feeling heavier.
"The guild!"
"It's really destroyed! Dammit!"
Dino clenched his fist. "I'm going to the Magic Council to arrest that witch!"
Makarov raised his hand, stopping him. "No. The guild building is just wood and stone. The real guild is all of you—our Fairy Tail family. As long as our family is here, the guild will never be destroyed."
He smiled warmly at the gathered wizards. "Besides, this old place has been around for decades. To be honest, you rowdy brats have been tearing it apart for years now. And our family keeps growing bigger and bigger—it's about time we got a bigger guildhall anyway."
His voice became stern, but his eyes twinkled. "Now then! Anyone who doesn't show up for work tomorrow will be doing construction duty for a month!"
At that moment, a squadron of Rune Knights from the Magic Council arrived on the scene. Most of the Fairy Tail members tensed up when they saw them—habitual troublemakers recognizing the law enforcement they'd tangled with so many times before.
"Nobody move!"
"Oh crap! It's the Rune Knights!"
"Damn it! Where were you guys before all this happened?!"
Dino's fist twitched, an itch to continue fighting rising in his chest. He'd already thrown down with Magic Council wizards not long ago. But he relaxed his hand. At times like this, it was better to let the Council do their job.
He wasn't a terrorist, after all. He'd generally follow the Council's rules—as long as they didn't really piss him off.
Soon, the injured guild members were taken away for medical treatment by the Council's personnel, while the uninjured ones were brought in to give statements and evidence.
Magic Council ERA Headquarters
The historic institution, recently wrecked by a certain troublemaker, had long since been restored to normal thanks to Ultear's magic.
All the Council members attended this emergency meeting. They were Council members, after all—it was only natural they'd have their own informants within the organization.
Right after Dino had torn through the Council building, both the First and Second Seats had projected their consciousness to the meeting.
Leaving before trouble starts is one thing—but not returning after it happens? That's inexcusable.
As for the Magic Council being destroyed by Dino, since Ultear had restored everything to its original state, everyone decided to keep quiet about it for now.
A gag order had been issued. After all, the external authority of the Magic Council couldn't be undermined—that wouldn't benefit anyone.
Crawford Seam, the Speaker of the Magic Council and First Seat, spoke gravely. "The purpose of this emergency session is to discuss recent events. First, I must inform you all that one of the Wizard Saints, Phantom Lord Guild Master Jose Porla, has been killed by Dino Maxim."
"What?!" The expressions of several Council members changed drastically. Four of them bore injuries from their recent encounter with Dino.
"That bastard! Didn't he just leave here? And now he's done something this serious again?"
"The willful murder of a legal guild master—one of the Ten Wizard Saints, no less—cannot be ignored! This will throw the entire magical world into chaos!"
Yajima raised his hand. "What were the circumstances, Speaker Seam?"
"According to our intelligence officers, Phantom Lord launched a massive assault on Fairy Tail in an attempt to completely destroy the guild. However, they failed. Jose and Dino engaged in single combat, and Jose was killed."
Several members fell silent. They were beginning to see Dino as a walking disaster—trouble followed him wherever he went.
"What's done is done. We should wait for the Rune Knights to gather all the evidence before making an official judgment on the situation."
"However, we need to select a new Wizard Saint as soon as possible. After all, the Ten Wizard Saints represent the pinnacle of magical power. Having only nine will shake public confidence."
Siegrain—actually Jellal in disguise—spoke up smoothly. "Fellow Council members, why don't we simply grant Dino Maxim the title of Wizard Saint?"
"His strength has clearly qualified him for this honor for quite some time. And since he defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints in direct combat—not through some trick or exploiting a weakness—the public will certainly accept it."
Everyone immediately fell silent. Everyone present knew exactly how strong Dino was—especially the four Council members nursing their injuries.
The Ten Wizard Saints were selected based on magical power, combat ability, and reputation. Dino failed in every category except raw strength.
Of course, the main reason for their hesitation was simpler: as Council members, there was nothing more irritating than a guy like Dino who operated completely outside the system.
Siegrain continued. "It's nearly impossible to completely cover up this incident. The news has probably already spread across the continent."
"There will be heated discussions in every country. 'A wizard who isn't even a Wizard Saint defeated one of the Ten.' If that narrative takes hold, the prestige of the entire Wizard Saint system will be damaged."
"People will think the title is meaningless. I find that troubling, as one of the Ten myself."
Crawford Seam coughed diplomatically. "Ahem. We'll discuss this further. The most important task right now is damage control. A full-scale war between major guilds—the public impact is already severe. We cannot let people lose faith in the Magic Council."
One Week Later
The guild had thrown itself into reconstruction with characteristic Fairy Tail enthusiasm.
"Oi! Trouble! The Council's here again!"
"What?! What do those jerks want now? Didn't they already finish collecting evidence?"
Soon, a Council messenger approached the construction site. "Is Dino Maxim of Fairy Tail here?"
"What do you want with Dino?"
The messenger straightened, producing an official-looking scroll. "We are here to announce a new appointment! Dino Maxim of Fairy Tail Guild has been officially recognized by the Magic Council as one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"